


Checking On The Moon

by jessamurphy



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Earth, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, M/M, Set After s03e08: terms and conditions, Space Stations, Space nerds, Starboard Window Bay, Stargazing, This started out as fluff and then turned into angst and then i changed it back to fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-28 01:10:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6308203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessamurphy/pseuds/jessamurphy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i> „You should hear yourself talk,” smiled Jasper, „you are such a space nerd.”</i><br/><i> „Says the one who was able to list the whole periodic table by heart by the time he was eight,” replied Monty, „you’re really not the one to talk.” </i><br/><i>„So you talk. Tell me, which phase is the moon in?”</i><br/> <i>„Waxing crescent,” Monty answered without missing a beat. </i></p><p>Or: in which Jasper and Monty enjoy looking up at the moon, play 'on which planet would you rather', and decide to turn their game into a list.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Checking On The Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I'm sorry for this mess, but as per usual, I really hope you enjoy it! This started out pretty fluffy but then turned kinda angsty, and then turned fluffy again. It's a bit of a mix between my mind going 'oh what if jasper and monty looked at the starts from earth and were disappointed' and 'what if they made a list of all the 'on which planets would you rather' with the answer: earth when being on earth'. That should about explain it. Again, English isn't my native language, so if there are any mistakes, I'd like to hear it!  
> Have fun reading lovelies!

„On which planet would you rather…sleep?”  
„Sleep? Honestly Monty, even for you, that’s boring. That question makes me want to sleep,” Jasper raked his fingers through Monty’s hair, whose head was in his lap. Jasper himself was propped up agains the metal wall in the room looking out on starboard window bay, which happened to have the best view of the moon. Monty’s and Jasper’s obsession with space had started quite some years ago, when the subject was brought up in class. Space and planets fascinated Jasper to no end, even though he knew he would be stuck on the Ark his whole life. Monty had become quite the storyteller, vividly imagining growing up on earth, painting worlds with his words. He knew a lot about earth, Monty. Jasper admired his knowledge.  
„Okay, I would probably want to sleep on Neptune,” answered Jasper.  
„Because it’s the coldest planet?”  
„Exactly! I don’t want to be awake on the coldest planet, so sleep it is. On Neptune,” he smiled when Monty laughed, shoulders shaking. „And what about you, Monts? On which planet would you rather sleep?”  
Monty batted his eyelashes a few times, pretending to be deep in thought. His hands found the fingers tapping gently on his chest, and Monty laced his fingers through Jasper’s. Jasper’s fingers stilled at the touch, melting into it, enjoying the warmth. Monty looked at Jasper, small smile tugging at his lips.  
„Of all the planets, I’d rather sleep on earth,” said Monty. Jasper scoffed, but couldn’t help but smile at the answer.  
„Your answer’s always earth!” he accused the boy lying in his lap. Monty shrugged nonchalantly.  
„Anywhere’s fine, as long as it’s with you.”  
„So you’d even sleep on Pluto, as long as it’s with me?” Jasper’s smile was way too smug for Monty’s liking.  
„Pluto’s not even a real planet, Jasper.”  
„You keep saying that, but scientists beg to differ.”  
„Scientists who died centuries ago!”  
„Scientists who died a century ago. It’s really not that long if you think about it.”  
„It’s about the time the Ark has been up in space,” protested Monty, causing Jasper to laugh.  
„But had Pluto been a planet-„  
„Aha, so you admit it!” Monty smiled triumphantly while Jasper shook his head. „You admit Pluto’s not a real planet.”  
„I am not admitting anything,” said Jasper, „it’s just, in the hypothetical case of-„ Monty rolled his eyes.  
„Yeah, I’d sleep on Pluto with you.”  
„Good, because I’d sleep on earth with you.”

 

„Hey Monts,” Jasper leaned towards the boy next to him. „Remind me, on which planet would you rather survive?”  
„Earth,” said Monty, because he knew that rationally, earth was the most survivable planet of all planets, even if bombs had destroyed its surface, and it still might’ve not recovered from war.  
„Well, I guess your dream is coming true,” Jasper said, sounding a bit bitter. They were strapped to a wall with red seat belts, held securely in place while grown-ups strapped other delinquents from the Sky Box to their seats. There was a murmuring, a hassle, confusion while some of the delinquents awoke from their drug-induced ruse. Without any words Jasper’s hand found Monty’s, linking the two boys together. Monty squeezed Jasper’s hand quickly before letting go, somewhat calming his racing heart.  
„We are gonna make it,” Monty reassured him. „I promise. After all-„  
„-earth is the most survivable planet in our solar system.”  
„Exactly,” Monty gave him a small smile, „think of all the things we now have to do.”  
Jasper groaned.  
„I hope you’re not talking about every round of ‚on which planet would you rather’ ever,” he said, and looked at the lanky boy next to him. Then he groaned again. „Oh god,” he sighed. „You totally are.”  
„I totally am,” Monty smirked. „You better start making a list.”

„Jasp?”  
„Yeah?”  
„You awake?”  
„No.”  
„I know you’re awake.”  
„So why’d you ask?”  
„To make sure.”  
„You always make sure,” Jasper whispered accusingly. There was no venom in his words, just fondness for his best friend’s habit and a small smile creeping through the wake of his voice. Monty made an indistinct sound, turning to his side. It was dark around them, the tent over them another shade of gray in the night. While Jasper turned to his back, Monty stirred.  
„Let’s go,” he whispered. Even in the dark Jasper could sense Monty’s eyes on him.  
„Where to?” Jasper asked, weary, still shaken by the whole incident that happened their first days on earth.   
„Out of here,” Monty said, standing up, grabbing his sleeping bag. Jasper looked at him for a moment, not moving. Monty touched his shoulder. „I mean out of this tent,” sheepishly he gestured towards the canvas looming over them. Jasper sat up, vaguely gesturing towards the opening of the tent.  
„For old times’ sake?”  
Monty nodded, glad that his friend was catching on. Jasper crawled out of his bed, taking Monty’s example and draping his sleeping bag around him like a blanket. The night air was cold against their skin; suddenly Jasper was glad they brought their sleeping bags outside, even tho it inevitably meant getting dirt on them.   
„So,” Jasper said while they sat down next to their tent, „what are we doing exactly?”  
Monty sat down at his side, head propped up towards the sky.  
„Look,” he said, a finger pointing at the sky. Jasper followed his friends eyes. When he looked up at the sky, he saw nothing but a white crescent, amidst hundreds of bright dots.  
„That’s the moon,” Monty said, leaning back a bit, relaxing. Their shoulders were touching.  
„Hm,” said Jasper, tilting his head a little bit, „it’s a bit disappointing, isn’t it?” He looked at the boy next to him, whose eyes were shining bright in the dim glow of the galaxy above them. Monty looked fascinated. Jasper looked at his friend, smiling softly. Had anybody been there to witness the two of them, they couldn’t have described the look as anything but fondness, a hidden love thriving.  
„I liked it better when we were up in space,” Jasper said, looking up at the sky, „I mean, looking at the moon, not just-„ he gestured vaguely, „-this and-„  
„Shut up,” Monty laughed, „just enjoy the view.”  
„Hm,” Jasper murmured contently, sliding down until his head was in Monty’s lap and he didn’t have to crane his neck to see the stars. Almost automatically Monty slung an arm over Jasper’s chest, protectively, making sure he felt safe.  
„I think it’s pretty neat we now can see different phases of the moon,” said Monty, „it’s great.”  
„You should hear yourself talk,” smiled Jasper, „you are such a space nerd.”  
„Says the one who was able to list the whole periodic table by heart by the time he was eight,” replied Monty, „you’re really not the one to talk.”  
„So you talk. Tell me, which phase is the moon in?”  
„Waxing crescent,” Monty answered without missing a beat, „it’s supposed to look very similar to waning crescent, tho they appear at different times and places. It’s the other side of the moon that’s in the dark- after the full moon instead of before it.”  
„Interesting,” Jasper murmured, settling, „tell me more?”  
„I don’t know if I can-„ Monty stuttered, but then he started chatting away about the planets and the different stars and the star signs, voice hushed as not to disturb others, until Jasper’s eyelids fluttered close, sleeping bag draped sloppily across his body, breaths even and slow. Monty stopped talking the minute he noticed his friend finally being asleep, not sweating or screaming for the first time in days. Monty let him rest until he himself almost fell asleep. He tugged at Jasper’s shoulder, waking the other boy.  
„Wh-what?” Jasper startled awake, causing his sleeping bag to fly across the ground.  
„Let’s go back inside,” Monty said, yawning. He picked up the sleeping bags and crawled inside their tent. Jasper nodded, dazed. When they were inside their tent, Jasper spoke up.  
„You mind if I lay next to you?”  
Monty was silent for a moment, before replying ‚why would I?’. Jasper just shrugged and waited until Monty lay down. He fitted their bodies together, head resting on Monty’s chest, humming softly.  
„You’ve always wondered what the moon’d look like if you saw it from someplace else than star window bay,” it was a barely audible whisper. „Guess that’s one thing to cross of our list.”  
„Our list?” Monty asked, shifting a bit, adjusting.  
„Yeah,” Jasper breathed, „our list.”

 

It turned out that over the years, Monty and Jasper had acquired quite the list of things they’d rather do on earth. The list was easily made, adjusted, and never really ended; when they thought they were done, there was always this one thing popping up in their heads, reminding them they weren’t finished yet. Even tho some things accidentally happened (e.g. getting high, because _someone_ rationed hallucinatory nuts), other things just happened, and different things they set out to do. They silently high-fived as their list was shortened by actions insinuated by the people around them. At first, it was simple, shortening their list: sleeping, eating, breathing, pranking, building fires and picking up rocks, throwing rocks; almost everything they did had been a checkpoint on their list. After a while, it got harder. The list livened up whilst in Mount Weather, but then slowly died down again; some things weren’t easily done. Jasper and Monty decided that before something could be checked off the list, they both had to have done it. It didn’t change much, just kept some points open which were half fulfilled. When Jasper got his hands on a piece of paper and a pen, he started writing down their list, even tho his bones grew tired of everything around them and he was filled with constant worry. He would take the list as a leg of hope, if it meant having hope at all.  
„When we get out of here, we are going to finish that damn list,” Jasper grunted out before shaking his head. The time had come, a change of plans. They were gonna make it out, tonight. „Time to do something stupid.”

The thing is, you can’t complete a list made for two on your own. Jasper knew that. Jasper also knew that Monty wasn’t the only one to blame; it was just that it was different. Monty wasn’t Clarke, just like Bellamy would never be Monty, and Clarke would never be Bellamy. And Jasper would never be any of them, might not even be himself; but Monty wasn’t fine, and dammit if he needed to be. They had to face the facts: they weren’t fine. Before, when Jasper had been strung up by grounders, taken down, lived through three days of hell, he had been okay. And when Monty had been there, he had been better. With his best friend by his side, everything had always been fine, and so much more than that. He physically ached, the way Monty did too, when they were apart. Night after sleepless night, oxygen a mere memory, they both woke bathing in sweat, but never next to each other, always apart. They hadn’t been apart before, and it just seemed to put emphasis on whatever was happening- the feeling it was _wrong_. Jasper forgot about the list, just like he tried to forget everything else. It never helped, he knew. The memories were vivid, so alive in his brain, he didn’t know how long he could handle it. But his best friend, the one who had always talked him through his pain- he couldn’t. He just couldn’t, or at least not yet. Every memory suddenly became a punch in the face. When Jaha came around, dragged Raven into whatever hellhole he had called ‚paradise’, Jasper was tempted. Raven’s bliss seemed like a new found glory, something Jasper was desperate to taste. But as he saw Raven unravel, fall apart again, Jasper realized something: Jaha hadn’t fixed shit, he’d only made it worse. And nothing or no one could ever fix the mess they all had made. So Jasper’d turned around and set out for something better, a plan forming in his head.

 

The moon was waning the next time Monty couldn’t sleep. He tried to keep track of the different phases of the moon, but it became harder with every day passing by. The existence of Arkadia seemed to be in the twilight zone, neither really there nor abundantly absent. He stared at the ceiling, and when he turned around, he noticed a small piece of paper sticking out under his mattress. Curiously he pulled at it, happy about the distraction.  
„Almost get killed,” he read, scanning the paper. He frowned, then read on.  
„Eat pie,” it was crossed out. „Plant something. Feel the rain. Make a joke that is not badly timed. _Apologize_.”  
The last word was written in italics, prominently visible. Everything else was crossed out, except for that last word. Monty stared at the paper for a while, realizing what it was. He tried to kill the hope filling his chest, tried to ignore the tiny increase of breathing room. He should sleep, he told himself. After all, they were at the brink of a war.  
The next day Monty was ushered away from breakfast by his mother. He frowned, looking at her questioningly. She gave him a faint smile.  
„I believe there’s someone you need to talk to,” she said, pushing a button to open a door. She didn’t say anything else before turning away. Monty stepped inside, alert. He looked around the room, just to find a piece of paper sitting on the table.  
_‚On which planet would you rather hear an apology?’_ All the available answers were ‚earth’. Monty looked around the room again, only to notice the figure standing beside the door.  
„So, I, eh, wanted to apologize,” Jasper stammered, „if that’s okay with you?”  
Monty nodded, ignoring the sound of his blood rushing in his ears. Jasper took a step forward, narrowing the distance between the two of them.  
„I’m sorry,” Jasper said, simply, looking pleadingly, „I shouldn’t- I-„ he took a gulp of air, „I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did, but- I hope you understand that-„ he started shaking, tears tracking down his cheeks. There was a mixture of anger and grief plastered all over his face. Monty took a step closer.  
„I don’t understand,” Jasper admitted, „I could’ve saved them, I- we- there was a plan. How could we just-„ he looked at Monty, eyes gleaming wet, looking for answers, not dodging them this time.  
„We did what had to be done,” Monty breathed, words barely audible, because he still was afraid what they meant. He saw Jasper bite back the anger, saw how the grief slowly took a hold of him.  
„I don’t understand how-„ Jasper began, but never finished his sentence. Monty took his hand, giving it a small squeeze.  
„Neither do I,” he said, voice hoarse even tho he hadn’t been crying. His eyes filled while his head pounded. „But I promised. I promised we would make it.”  
For a heartbeat, they were silent.  
„I loved her,” Jasper finally whispered, and Monty tried to ignore the cracks he felt forming in his heart. „I loved them,” Jasper said, and Monty knew he was now talking about his parents. He tried to ignore the clenching of his heart. He couldn’t.  
„I know,” Monty said, still holding Jasper’s hand. He looked at the ground while he felt tears running down his cheeks, felt a wave of nausea come over him. They were so close that their foreheads touched. „I am sorry.”  
„I’m sorry too,” Jasper wrapped his arms around Monty, gripping him even tighter than when he had when he’d gotten him out of the cage in Mount Weather. Monty buried his face in Jasper’s neck while he wrapped his arms around the other boy’s torso. They stood like that for a while, simply breathing each other in, crying on each other’s shoulder. Everything that had happened, everything passed.  
„I missed you,” Jasper hadn’t planned to say it aloud.  
„Missed you too,” Monty replied, tears running dry. He didn’t want to let go, didn’t want to lose the familiar warmth all over again. Jasper loosened his grip, taking a small step back but not letting go. He looked Monty in the eye, a small smile tugging at his lips, not quite what it used to be, but more happy than not.

 

„We might have a list to finish,” Jasper said quietly, a few weeks later. They were at Monty’s former room, the room they now once again shared. It had been like that on the Ark, they’d even shared their Skybox. After they had made things right with each other, their reunion had started. Gradually they had let each other back into their lives, feeling calmer, falling back into old patterns. Their handshakes returned, small smiles. Jasper felt his chest swell, knowing this was right. As it always had been Monty and Jasper, it always would be. Somewhere in between moments he’d had a realization. He gave Monty a small smile, turning towards the boy sitting on the log, star filled sky spread out above them. It reminded him of one of their first nights on earth, when Monty had talked to him about the stars until he fell asleep, head propped in his lap. Monty raised his eyebrows.  
„Now do we?” As he lowered his eyebrows, a grin began to spread across his face. Jasper felt his heart beat in his chest as his eyes traveled down Monty’s face. There was one checkpoint on their list bothering him, which had been bothering him for a while now. He sat there, knowing one of the points of their original list hadn’t been crossed off yet. Because they both had to have done it, and right now, only one of them had.  
„I might know where to start.” Jasper leaned in, hesitant, before closing the gap between them. He pressed his lips against Monty’s, gently and questioningly, as if to test the waters. Five heartbeats, and Monty was kissing back, his mind racing to all the times he’d wished he’d done the exact thing he was doing right now. His hand snaked up the back of Jasper’s neck, pulling him in closer. This gave Jasper more confidence, kissing him more confidently.  
„Well,” Jasper breathed when they pulled apart, „I think we’re off to a great start.” He unfolded a rumpled piece of paper, which he had taken from one of his pockets. His face was flushed, heated, and he felt like his heart might beat out of his chest.  
„Yeah,” Monty agreed, still a little breathless, „definitely a great start.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for reading. Please leave a comment if you thoroughly enjoyed the story! Feedback's always welcome!


End file.
